Cursed to Fate
by violence.in.silence
Summary: 3 years ago a drunk Flynn Rider with a tendency to bite his snakebite climbed up Rapunzel's wall on his own. He stole something from her and she stole a piece of his heart somewhere along the way. Their past runs deeper than they could've ever imagined, and they're stuck wondering if the outcome will be different this time. For now, they're just trying to put the pieces together.
1. Prologue

Prologue—3 years ago

Flynn stumbled as he walked through a quiet street, hating how it stank of high-strung adults and old farts who only cared for superficial things. He braced an arm on a perfectly pruned tree flanking the open road and let out a deep breath reeking of alcohol. Sweat beaded on his forehead and rolled down his neck, contrasting in temperature to the frigid night's air. Flynn almost had to rip off his beanie to cool down his head and wipe some sweat from his matted hair, but his arms said otherwise, bared to the midnight cold. He let out a drunken laugh that bubbled with amusement. How much this street reminded him of his old one. The thought of his parents made him shudder in all his drunkenness.

Flynn bit his lip, rolling around the hoop of his snakebite and relishing the feel of it against his tongue, trying to feel something, trying to cut through some skin and taste the blood because why the hell not? The best he's felt in years is just numb anyway.

But then his eyes fall on this one particular house and he actually pauses because this house looks like a freaking tower. He doesn't know how many stories it has, but he has never seen something so belittling in his entire life (with the exception of his parents, of course). And though it had this sort of dark presence as he stood just outside (which Flynn actually loved because it was so foreboding), he couldn't help but fantasize it as his dream house on an island all alone. He could never play nice with other people after all. And then he started to feel this urge, this down-to-the-bone, instinctual desire to break in…for no reason at all. He swore to himself that his stealing and B&E days were over but it was just for one night, right? Really, who could argue with the Flynn Rider? Or more like, who could argue with the drunken Flynn Rider?

Adjusting his beanie and giving his snakebite one more tug with his teeth, he went in. Jumping over the fence like a lithe cat, albeit a little clumsily due to the alcohol buzzing his brain, he crouched and ran through the backyard. No thoughts ran through his mind nor worries or cares. This version of Flynn Rider was merely a ghost creeping through the grass.

Maybe if Flynn were in his right mind, he'd realize that he shouldn't go into the creepiest and most sinister house on the street. One that lacked windows and the stale, uniform colors of all the other houses on the street. He would've noticed how the edges of the grass died out at the corners as if they were trying to escape from the confines of the tower. Flynn, the most observant person anyone knew, would've have found these things peculiar if he was in the right mind to notice them in the first place. But he was drunk—again—and getting into this house for the challenge or to look around or for whatever reason, was the only barely there thought in his head.

When Flynn looked up into the night sky—which was a blank sheet of midnight hues and no moon, he felt something shift in his gut. As if he knew he was probably not meant to be there despite his jail worthy desire. But when he spies a window near the very top of the house, Flynn shakes away the almost magical barrier trying to keep him away. He swiftly climbed onto the roof of a small veranda and snakes up poles and jumps on ledges, years of experience coming back to him as he went. His muscles screamed and ached after being forced into such exercise that he hadn't underwent in years. Flynn had been clean, no robberies, no drunk driving, no drugs, he flipped over a new leaf and resurrected his deteriorating life. But without his inhibitions, this decision would probably be one he'd regret later on. The scent of hazelnut invaded his blocked senses, reminding him of chocolate and soup, and he tried to shake it off when finally, _finally_ he reached the open window. He could almost laugh at the ignorance of whoever's inside, thinking that just because they're high up that they're safe.

Flynn's eyes narrowed, trying to grow accustomed to the darkness when in truth, he had surprised himself that he even made it this far in his stupor. He couldn't see anyone so he quietly brought himself inside, padding through the room. He didn't know what to do next, but as he approached closer and closer to a bed, he saw something that he almost made him trip over.

Glistening in the midnight darkness was strands and locks of golden hair. It grew brighter and brighter with an almost angelic hue that screamed of magic. It was the most beautiful thing Flynn had ever seen. Flynn had always thought this kind of enchantment and magic had disappeared from the world long ago, yet here he was watching it shimmer right before his eyes.

He moved closer and closer towards the sleeping body on the bed. He picked up on soft murmurs, almost like a song being sung in the deepest moments of sleep. When he listened closer, he realized that it was a girl's voice, and she was in fact singing in her sleep.

"Bring back what once was mine..." Flynn heard her sing but the rest became too soft for his ears. And just like that, her hair stopped glowing and became a dull blonde. Flynn knew that he should turn around and get out of there because, _really_, it was bad enough that he couldn't concentrate that well but every single person in Corona (and maybe even further) knows not to mess with magic. Magic was a surefire call for trouble, but oh, how Flynn _loved _trouble. He wasn't sure exactly what this type of glowing, shimmering, gold-haired magic could do, but he wanted it.

Creeping in ever so slightly on tipsy feet, Flynn eyed the girl closely and he was almost struck by how innocent she looked. Not only did she carry this majestic air around her but also she was beautiful and Flynn wondered if anyone could be this gorgeous, or whether it was the magic. But when he studied her features, he couldn't detect a single cast of magic over her form. _Maybe it's just her hair_, he thought. He wanted to brush the stray lock cast over her cheeks, but didn't have the courage. But he felt so unexplainably drawn to her, for once, in a way that didn't include lust. He just wanted to hold her tight towards him, just to feel her body close to his _just because _and he couldn't even explain it. He shook his head and tried not to focus on the body in front of him.

He tried to focus on where the magic might be coming from. For a century or so, magic had vanished from the people. People had started to fear the power and the people who possessed it—one way or the other it was killed off. But there were still stories and legends of talismans and spells that old witches and sorcerers hid away, they showed that no matter what happened, magic couldn't disappear from the world completely. As a little boy, Flynn had read these stories, listened to them, drowned in them. But he never knew what to think of magic as a whole. He couldn't decipher whether it was good or bad. All he knew was that _he wanted it. _For once, he'd be able to get the chance. Magic had always been a secretive whisper amongst crowds, very few being able to possess it because there was so little to go around. It gave even more value to Flynn.

He searched the girl for some sort of necklace or bracelet—anything that could have possibly been giving her this strange and wondrous power. His eyes finally fall on a thick, black chain tumbling into her shirt glistening like velvet. He blinked once or twice before skillfully stroking it between his thumb and index finger. He carefully pulled it out of her shirt and unclasped it with as much care as a mother with her baby. And slowly, this dull and cracked talisman came into his sight and he almost staggered at the chance at real magic.

When it was carefully out of her hands and reach, and he safely had it within his grasp, he almost laughed in amazement. But even his drunkenness couldn't make him forget what a precarious situation he was in. He snapped it onto his neck and gave the girl one last fleeting glance, feeling slightly guilty from stealing from such an innocent-looking girl. But he told himself that this was his life, this was as good as he was going to get.

He made his way to her window and glanced back just _one last time_. The whisper of _I'm sorry _fresh on his lips before ducking out her window. He hit his head on the ledge above and let out a low grumble as he tried to sneak out.

Little did he know that at the noise, the girl's eyes fluttered open, catching the sight of a lantern tattoo on the back of a shoulder that almost glowed gold in the light and strong arms littered with ink. But then he was gone, and all Rapunzel's eyes could pick up on was a beanie that tumbled to the floor.

**First shot at a Tangled story. Bare with me, I don't have all my shit straight. I'm trying to figure out the plot and things, but I'll get there. You just have to give me some time. I just wanted to see whether this could generate some curiosity and readers. Reviews would be appreciated, I take anything I can get **


	2. Chapter 05

Chapter 0.5—Present Time

Rapunzel waited by her window everyday on her birthday ever since. Waited for a flash of a beautiful boy with a glowing lantern tattoo to appear on her birthday. Rapunzel had mauled it over and over again in her mind, she _knew _for a fact that it couldn't be some coincidence that someone broke in on her birthday. It had taken her the next three years to figure out just _why _she wanted this boy to come back and break in. As if wanting someone to come back and steal something from you was a logical thing. Rapunzel reached for her collarbone and touched the empty crevice—missing the feel of her talisman against her skin. It was to protect her, her mother gave it to her when she was very little, and she'd never taken it off since. In fact, she'd only parted with it after the break-in and she'd always wondered why of all things, that was what he took. In some ways, she realized her mother was right; there _were _a lot of bad people in the world. Yet, why didn't that boy seem…bad?

Rapunzel envisions that glowing, almost _luminescent_;tattoo in her head, all she could think about was how _intriguing _it was. She admitted it—the boy intrigued her. He was a beacon of light shining into her prison. Though she loved her mom for protecting her and keeping her in a safe bubble where only the good things in the world could reach her, Rapunzel was growing much too old to be kept in. I mean, she was twenty-one after all, with only a small chameleon as her primary company. It wasn't exactly _normal. _Rapunzel understood that people might want to use her for her hair, but she knew that as long as no one found out, she wouldn't be in danger. Besides, how easy was it to find out that her hair had healing powers when she sang? Not that easy…at all. Thankfully, her mother was slowly letting her go out mostly due to the fact that Rapunzel didn't tell her mother about the whole breaking in deal. It was a pretty mundane life, but Rapunzel tried to be thankful for it by painting with bright colors full of life, and singing for her mother.

Rapunzel found the boy's beanie and held it close to her. She smelt coconuts and earthen dirt—like the grass when she first went outside. She wondered just exactly what he looked like, whether his hair was brown or black or blonde like hers, if he had blue eyes or maybe brown.

Pascal gave her a look that could pretty much only translate to '_are you kidding me?' _Rapunzel gazed at him with wide eyes before hastily dropping the beanie to the bottom of her bed.

"What? I was just…curious." Rapunzel gives a sheepish response before crossing her arms over her chest and giving Pascal a pointed look. He just continues staring at her before rolling her eyes.

"Hey, be nice. It's my birthday." Rapunzel gives Pascal another look but he just pokes his tongue out at her. She returns a cheeky grin and laugh and Pascal runs up her arm.

"What do you think he looks like, Pascal?" Rapunzel crashes back down onto her bed, heart fluttering at the thought of this mysterious figure. "Do you think he has brown hair? Or blue eyes? Oh! What about that lantern tattoo?" Pascal just rolls his eyes and pokes his tongue out again, because really, this has been her millionth time asking and what can Pascal answer with—really?

"Okay, okay, I'll stop!" Rapunzel giggles when Pascal changes his camouflage to fit her flowery pajamas. But even though Rapunzel shut her mouth for a moment, Pascal could tell in her distant expression that she was off dreaming and fantasizing again.

One question ran through both of their minds: _will he come back tonight? _

…

Flynn pulled his hood back from his head, his beanie almost coming off completely. He adjusted it and made sure the damn thing stayed in place before shoving his hands in his pockets and biting his snakebite. The faint glow of lights and the hushed whispers brought his attention back to the task at hand.

He felt the talisman on his neck with caution, pulling it down extra low to keep it out of sight. Flynn couldn't really explain it but it grew to be more and more a part of him each day. He tried to sell it off at first, he thought he could make some quick cash with the magic he'd found. He soon realized that nothing weird happened, his hair didn't change and no magical genies appeared, but the people he tried to sell it to didn't have to know that. Yet they all turned him away, without even knowing this information, deciding they had no use for a pointless talisman...and Flynn's reputation didn't exactly help with him trying to sell a 'magical talisman'. Sure, when he was into robbing and stealing, all the sellers wanted to buy from him because he was one of the best producers around, but very few people would buy something claimed to be 'magical'. Flynn did need the money though, to pay off copious amounts of debt that his past life left behind, and he still hadn't managed to pay it all off.

The Stabbington brothers were 'pleasant' as always—greeting Flynn with glinting knives that they always found joy in sharpening. When Flynn gazed at them in the eye with an easy going smile, he felt so much uncertainty ravel inside of him. Not only were they the shadiest characters on the street, but no one could tell the difference between the two of them, or even knew each of their names. They were the type of characters that knew what they wanted and _got _what they wanted. It made him uneasy that no one actually knew where they were from, or how long they had been around for. These guys were _ghosts_. Flynn should have known better than to get involved with them, even worse that he had a debt to repay them.

"Hey guys." Flynn lets out a half-hearted chuckle, expecting nothing less than trouble. The Stabbington brothers had called him a few days ago, arranging a meeting. Flynn was worried at first, probably still is, but duty calls and he knew better than to try to run from the brothers. He scratched the back of his head and then hastily dropped his arm.

"We didn't call you for the small talk, Rider. We want the talisman." They paused from sharpening their knives and gave Flynn an expecting look. Flynn's eyes widen and he avoids their gaze.

"Ah, yeah, no. You were right about that crummy old thing. Why would you need that? Haha, it's pretty useless anyways. Like you said, it isn't magic whatsoever." Flynn lazily leans on the nearby building of the narrow alleyway and tries to give them his most charming smile. But, of course, it was completely ineffective against the two towering men.

"We'll cut to the chase, Rider. Word's been going around about a girl with magic hair. Seems that you weren't talking out of your ass the first time around." When the brother gives his undivided attention to Flynn, he grins—all shark teeth and danger. Flynn just decides to keep quiet.

"We want the girl. And if we can't get her, we move on to the next best thing." The brother with the eye-patch glares holes into Flynn, before his eyes trail to the necklace wound tightly around Rider's neck.

"I can get you the girl." Flynn blurts. He doesn't know exactly where it comes from, but an unhealthy attachment to his talisman (or more like, the girl's talisman) forces him to pull through.

It's only then that the brothers show Flynn some actual interest. They give a curious look to each other, almost as if they were speaking to each other telepathically. Flynn shuffles in his spot, biting his snakebite haphazardly and constantly scolding himself in his head for making what would probably be the best mistake of his life—not that he knows that now. _Now_, he's imagining his own grave, and how far he's dug it for himself. Making impossible deals with the Stabbington brothers was certain death, and Flynn knows that no matter where he ran, it wouldn't be far enough. But he is the great Flynn Rider, he's resourceful, so he gives himself a week to come up with a great plan to escape their clutches.

"We're giving you a week, Rider."

And there's that plan going down the drain. Flynn can almost hear his hopes being flushed down a toilet.

"Pretty generous of us if you ask me."

Flynn gives a cold hard look to the wall next to him, "Yeah, totally generous."

**Sorry for the late (and rather short) update, as you can see, it's chapter 0.5 so it's still just an introduction. But the good news: I figured out my shit. This story now has a plan and it's apparently a lot more complicated than I originally expected it to be. Expect a late update to make it worth your time reading. Thanks for the follows, favorites and reviews. Special thanks to Nutella, I don't know, you kicked my ass into gear so thanks!**


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